Mossberg: A Tablet That Woos With its Keyboard

Walt Mossberg reviews the Eee Pad, a $499 Android-based tablet that comes with a keyboard dock.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... you get it to jazz up your Android tablet device the big doubly while ... baking so joins us now from Washington DC to explain what's going on at all is love it when the device can be jazzed up tells about a ... I ... well I sign in high Lauren ... um ... first ball I have to say ... then ... you should be constitutionally allowed Wentworth with friends on any airline in any time ... why would our fall ... I completely in a deal on ... so I I don't even understand ... well ... when when we made up of what we need that ... what we want want to understand about this new gadget that you've been right ... okay so look it ... is a million Android tablets ... they're all fairly similar ... everybody's looking for an end and what a Sues has been trying to do ... business with their third try ... this is a ok while we were underway ... to try and make it really ... easy and seamless than the keyboard ... that you can use with your tablet ... and Doc it all wet and I think they finally got it right on the third time this fall ... the Transformer Prime and ... it cost ... for ninety nine just like the base price the I pad almost as ... does have double the memory of the piece I've had but it's it's Apple ... and it's in the Android Honeycomb tablet ... which we'll likely don't like ... the PT is that for another hundred and forty nine dollars ... you can buy a keyboard dock ... and you just ... that snapped the tablet into this hinge on the job ... the keyboard is pretty good and I thought was you know ... the key to type on an actor it has ... especially enjoyed fees ... as an extra battery inside so that he she added battery life and ... the tablet when stock or down like the living essentially have ... I netbook ... of the runs Android when you wanted and we don't ... you're on couple with tablet never an Android tablet ... well I think the mention Euroview is that this had been in the act had rectory ... said now for consumers that are really not that means and for consumers that might be hearing more about this ... tell us what this did for a tablet ... well first ball might place to consumers is ... pays little attention as possible ... the processors and me generally the innards of these things but this is the first tablet ... with a new um ... up with a quad ... for Prosser that means there are four ... essentially ... for Prosser equivalents inside the chip ... and Yeovil boobie age ... other tablets and smartphones right now that to ... this that or ... I have to tell you it's not like I thought oh my God I've never seen thing this path ... um but it was you know the the Android ... I've tablet user interface has been a little arm ... I've jerky sometimes and ... I'm not always ... as fluid as you would like and ... I did find that I think that this Prosser it was ... a much more fluid ... the graphics were better physically three games ... ID and I didn't think it was a gigantic difference but you know I'm sure ... I again or graphic expert could point out to all kinds of ... shading and shadows means that this does ... that the previous generation ... a process that ... this is the first ... and also by the way also supposedly ... in switching to different modes or ... five different battery life of ... characteristics ... this is the first tablet with its Tegra three ... picture this scene ... of what she whether tablets and smartphones that happened ... in the coming months and probably ... other wide for competitors from other companies ... well Walt I have the the the I pad the regional tablet with the XML keyboard which again we Jean Paul de Abd I pad onto ... aam and I found that to be ... okay so so ... how does this this ... new gadget you've been reviewing ... how does the compact with that setup ... well I Forstall Apple mostly make that name or not that many people bought its time and time I'd I did I was the war I well I understand that ... I'm ... in the but I will I will say I did notice note this column that if you are up in the eye and you would ... you would never ... respond by saying Hey ... the I pad can also use external keyboards ... and there's a lot of the new wireless Bluetooth keyboards ... use your keywords posting the cases for the I pad ... their dock like things not the one answer they ... beat you bought by others from ... third party company so it's not as if I'd had owners if they won t use keyboard ... what ensues is done here though that's different is ... this is real this is made by the same company makes its tablet ... and is made in a way that it really ... I'm you know just to get to dock such that Apple has ... a locking dock ... churns the spring and fall into a lid ... and that's the difference I think and the keyboard isn't good people so ... he was up for with keyboard because to ... change that with the keyboard is about the same way ... but I'd I found it was good it has a nice ... touch pad on and ... and ... and that's an enemy extra battery and a couple more ... forts were built in ... and that's the appeal of the extra for forty nine dollars while very quickly what was it like accessing on your content yet ... well that was a mixed bag I mean I ... the prices are ... just use the Tegra three ... Johnson has ... the graphics processor and it ... does a good job ... I played movies on it it was good ... I did but but there's no ecosystem ... to manage what Apple and at what he Amazon has ... allowed you to buy or rent ... forced to war whatever all boy you're media I mean they have ... yet to get a and Netflix that ... they have been who will music service ... they have eight eight who will ... rent movie rental service or movie rental service ... that comes from the Android market right ... I tried to rent two movies and neither of them would play ... I'm sitting here will be planned there it looks pretty good I don't think it looks dramatically better ... or are really to my life any better than I've had app like um ... but it looks fine ... the prom was ... EQ known as you all know those who try the I pad or those who try the new ... Kindle Fire ... part of the charm of those things is to sell his old one ... sign up one account one quick way to buy books and stay in the absence ... of movies and TV shows and music ... and is an analyzer have been with this one ... don't have that ... OK Wall we ... would leave it that thank you Brian much they value self wall last but not as everyone to check out wall such ... story online